Author Archives: Alexander Goetzfried

With Tex missing two games in a row with a sore wrist, and CC, ARod, and Andy all still on the DL the Yankees  still managed a good homestand against the Rangers and Red Sox, which will conclude tomorrow night against Boston.

Swisher’s bat really came alive against Boston. Friday night he went 2 for 3 with two home runs one from each side of the plate, the 12th time in his career, he is now one behind Tex on the all time list.  On Saturday he was 3 for 4.  During this homestand Swisher has gone 10 for 24 with four home runs and 11 RBIs.

Derek Jeter had a historic weekend as well tying Graig Nettles at ninth place of all time Yankees. He also became the fourth player in major league history to hit 250 home runs, have 300 stolen bases, and 3000 hits.  Another historic night for a true baseball gentleman!

The Yankees will complete their homestand tomorrow night against the Red Sox.

With Tex missing two games in a row with a sore wrist, and CC, ARod, and Andy all still on the DL the Yankees  still managed a good homestand against the Rangers and Red Sox, which will conclude tomorrow night against Boston.

Swisher’s bat really came alive against Boston. Friday night he went 2 for 3 with two home runs one from each side of the plate, the 12th time in his career, he is now one behind Tex on the all time list.  On Saturday he was 3 for 4.  During this homestand Swisher has gone 10 for 24 with four home runs and 11 RBIs.

Derek Jeter had a historic weekend as well tying Graig Nettles at ninth place of all time Yankees. He also became the fourth player in major league history to hit 250 home runs, have 300 stolen bases, and 3000 hits.  Another historic night for a true baseball gentleman!

The Yankees will complete their homestand tomorrow night against the Red Sox.

With pitching struggles continuing and CC back on the DL for a short stint most Yankee fans including myself are chomping at the bit for the return of Andy Pettite.  The Yankees however are being very “cautious” with the return of their aging ace, especially after Pettite had a set back in the recovery of his ankle while doing stair climbs in rehab.

The Yankees are a cautious team when it comes to injuries because from the outset of the season they include October automatically in their baseball plans.  Anymore set backs for Andy would mean the possibility of missing playoff baseball, if the pitcher with the most wins in playoff history can’t throw in October, then Pettite’s return from retirement would be pointless to say the least.

“I know now that if I have another setback, that we’ve got serious problems and my season’s probably over,” Pettitte told the New York Times on Tuesday. “Now we’re probably going to be overcautious and try to figure out what we can do, just to make sure I’m back, and what I need to get ready.”

With Hughes and Nova struggling, getting Pettite and CC back is what the Yankees need in order to be ready for playoff baseball.  Pettite is in week 7 of the 6-8 week projection for his return, however mid September is now looking like a more likely time line for Andy to get back on the mound.

With pitching struggles continuing and CC back on the DL for a short stint most Yankee fans including myself are chomping at the bit for the return of Andy Pettite.  The Yankees however are being very “cautious” with the return of their aging ace, especially after Pettite had a set back in the recovery of his ankle while doing stair climbs in rehab.

The Yankees are a cautious team when it comes to injuries because from the outset of the season they include October automatically in their baseball plans.  Anymore set backs for Andy would mean the possibility of missing playoff baseball, if the pitcher with the most wins in playoff history can’t throw in October, then Pettite’s return from retirement would be pointless to say the least.

“I know now that if I have another setback, that we’ve got serious problems and my season’s probably over,” Pettitte told the New York Times on Tuesday. “Now we’re probably going to be overcautious and try to figure out what we can do, just to make sure I’m back, and what I need to get ready.”

With Hughes and Nova struggling, getting Pettite and CC back is what the Yankees need in order to be ready for playoff baseball.  Pettite is in week 7 of the 6-8 week projection for his return, however mid September is now looking like a more likely time line for Andy to get back on the mound.

The new Yankee stadium is an enormous shrine to the dynasty, a technological marvel, and a small culinary mecca in a city already boasting some of the world’s best restaurants.  A hot dog and a beer are no longer affordable, ($9 for a budlight, no thanks) and that is if you are able to resist the influx of real restaurants with cooked-on-site, made-to-order food. Parm serves staples from owners Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi’s Nolita Sandwich Shop.  Lobel’s of New York serves fresh made, hand carved, steak sandwiches, and there’s even a Brother Jimmy’s. The July 2012 GQ went as far as saying that Yankee stadium is the best place to eat right now in the east, and described a Parm sandwich at Yankee stadium as a “picture-perfect summer evening. Under the lights. America.”

Yes America, ball parks, good food, and beer.  A fundamental essence of the American dream, taking your family to a ball game.  But should you have to take out a second mortgage to afford seats out of the bleachers?  Or sacrifice a weeks worth of food shopping budget to afford $20 sandwiches with $10 drinks?  In the quest for more and more everywhere we go, and combining everything we like into one place, have we sold the right to go to a ballgame to the elite?

Yankee tickets are expensive.  The “Legends Suite” tickets start at $1225 and go up to $2500.  Of course with these tickets you can have a bottle of champagne, sushi, an 18 yr scotch, and probably anything else you want from the concierge, and wait team assigned to you.  For the sake of this discussion however, I would like to try and keep the numbers in the realm of possibility for people who are not flying in a helicopter to East Hampton after the game. So there are tickets available to this Tuesday’s game against the Rangers.  To the back right of home plate in section 118 just above field level you can get tickets off of Ticketmaster for $311.90.  Now ticket master does charge a fee, after all they do allow you to print the tickets at home, so for the sake of argument lets call the tickets an even $350.  So if a family of four goes to Tuesday night’s game, tickets in this area will run you about $1400. Of course your kids will want a hand carved steak sandwich, so family dinner at $20 a sandwich and 4 $4 sodas is around another $100, you do have to tip it is a restaurant stand after all.  Now you are obviously going to need to drink four or five of those $9 bud lights in an attempt to cope with all this spending so tack on an extra $50.  So for $1550 you can go to a Yankee game, with your family, and everyone can have a nice meal.

But every ballpark is not built to cater to the mega rich.  There are other options for the same budget.  Just one example is going to Chicago to see the Yankees play the White Sox.  Tickets in the same section in Chicago go for $90 a piece. If all four of you make the trip that’s $360 for the tickets.  This game is Tuesday August 21.  On Expedia if you book right now flights with hotel for four to Chicago will run you $1517 all fees included.  The total is $1877.  I realize that this does not factor in a gourmet meal like you will get at Yankee stadium, but Chicago is no slouch in the world of foodie cities.

One day at Yankee stadium with food, beer, and good seats for a family of four will conservatively speaking run about $1550.  A three day vacation to Chicago with a Yankee game thrown in, same seats, but food not included will cost $1887.  That is an extra $84.25 per person.  We are in a sad place in the history of the greatest baseball franchise, when its more reasonable to fly to another city and stay for three days, than it is to have decent, not even the best, seats to one Yankee game.